This article includes reference to sexual assault involving a minor.

'Faith In Us' has spent the last few weeks in the top ten Australian country chart, with its highest position impressively at number 2. Featuring powerful themes, an empowering message and a children's choir, this track is making serious waves. 

Local singer-songwriter and actor, Rae Leigh has graced the stages of Tamworth Country Music Festival, Groundwater Country Music Festival and even screens in the 'Young Rock' TV show and 'Elvis' film. 

She was also the recipient of the JMC Academy's $10,000 prize package back in 2020 through the Logan City Council.

Beyond her long list of accolades, appearances and platforms, Rae shares important retellings through her music to empower others. 

Her latest song 'Faith In Us' is an uptempo song that collides raw recordings with classic gospel piano. Its message aims to inspire hope and courage for anyone struggling with mental health post-traumatic stress disorder or depression. Ultimately, spreading the message that trauma doesn't have to define one's future. 

We caught up with Rae Leigh to unpack her latest track. 

'Faith In Us' includes powerful self-biographical messages about not being defined by trauma. Has using your platform and voice to advocate always been important to you?

My 'voice' is something that took me 30 years to find. I was victim to child sexual abuse over 8 years, and a large part of the experience was manipulation to not talk and to keep secrets.

I was silent for many years, thinking as a child that it was me who wanted the sexual advances. However, when I became a mother at age 24 I quickly discovered the reality of the innocence of a child and that no child at the age of 3 all the way to 12 would have "wanted" that and that I was taken advantage when I was in a vulnerable situation.

After this big realisation, I reported the abuse to the police, started a long public prosecution process and started clinical therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder and postnatal depression.

The court case went to trial and was successful with a guilty verdict by jury in 2015.

Having children and therapy have been a large part of my healing journey, and I take every chance I get to relive my stolen childhood with my own kids and love to play with them.

When searching out for other survivors, often their stories were quite harrowing and did not feature the Hollywood happy ending.

I have decided to share my [story] not for sympathy, but to empower others who live in the shame and guilt. My hope is that with the right support and a safe environment, diving into the trauma can be the most freeing thing one can do.

It's taken a lot of courage to share the vulnerable side of me, but I truly believe that if I share my story wide enough, it may inspire others who need it to start their own journey.

I have now dedicated my life to art and sharing my stories through music and film.

Your single includes a choir of little singers. Talk us through why you chose to include children to feature in your track's vocals.

To have little voices singing "I am who I choose to be" still makes me well up. I wish someone told me that I had that power at that age.

Part of this artistic choice was to represent my inner child, who I have been getting to reconnect with through my therapy.

On a community-level we had kids from Gold Coast and Logan. My children and Toms Performance Studio in Oxenford joined us to give them the experience of being in the recording studio and see the journey of writing a song, then seeing it hit radio. We have been so blessed to celebrate with all the kids at a live show in August on the Gold Coast.

You chose to use a local female producer and collaborated with a local music school too. How has community impacted your songwriting process?

Community is so important to me. When I've been vulnerable I've relied on the support of my community and so do many others all the time.

Children and other vulnerable members of the community can only be as well as those who support them.

Giving a platform for children to be seen and encouraged and giving a voice to a strong female project is important to me.

My story is very much an experience of female disempowerment and victimisation that left me vulnerable as a young girl.

The hope for this project is to empower women young and old. Women are incredible, beautiful and powerful, and I'm always looking for ways to inspire embodiment and empowerment for women in the community and in the arts.

Talk us through some career highlights and why you decided to partner with At The Ark

I struggled with massive stage fright for most of my life, so the career highlight for me has always been the night I overcame my fear and sang my original songs at the Palm Beach Hotel open mic night for the first time.

Hearing my songs do well on radio is always surprising to me, and of course getting to sing with 'The Rock' on his TV show, 'Young Rock' in season two was a really fun experience.

I connected with At The Ark through a mutual friend, only to find out that their mission and mine were very aligned. Xena and Simon are incredible people who give so much to the journey of education, awareness and support for those who have been through similar experiences of disempowerment, and they are actively fighting to support, empower and encourage the community in ways to stop these types of things from happening to women and children.

I'm currently in the UK but have been able to support them from a distance with their annual fundraiser event coming up on the 30th of September in the Gold Coast. 

I recommend to anyone who wants to support the mission to book a table and support this great charity.

What's the lasting message you hope listeners keep with them long after the track ends?

I simply live by the motto that what happened to me does not define who I am and what I do with the rest of my life.

I have the choice everyday who I want to be and what I want to do with the rest of my life.

I hope that this song empowers listeners to self-reflect in their own life and possibly see if there is any guilt or shame impacting their daily life.

I hope it inspires them to see that maybe if they can find their way through it something beautiful will happen.

Anything coming up we should know about?

I've been working with director Kim Farrant on acting and developing more music and scripts as I continue to explore and learn more in the arts.

I've also been collaborating with new artists and musicians on the Gold Coast and am very excited to share our new music that we have been developing, mostly connecting through the Songwriter Trysts nights that I run at the Whiskey Lounge in Mudgeeraba. We have a songwriter showcase there on the 26th of November which the public are welcome to get tickets to and come hear the new songs we are all working on.

For more information about At The Ark's upcoming event, click here. 

Listen to 'Faith In Us' here.